October 13, 2025 | 16:24 GMT +7
October 13, 2025 | 16:24 GMT +7
Hotline: 0913.378.918
After an impressive period of growth with export turnover consistently exceeding USD 1 billion, Vietnam’s cassava industry is now facing an unprecedented challenge: a severe shortage of raw materials and low productivity, while disease outbreaks and fluctuations in the global market continue to pose complex risks.
Domestic cassava supplies meet only about 50% of the processing factories’ demand. Photo: Tran Trung.
According to Mr. Le Huu Hung, Vice President of the Vietnam Cassava Association, the most alarming issue at present is that domestic raw materials meet only about 50% of the demand of processing factories. “If we cannot secure our own supply, the future of the cassava industry will be extremely difficult. We are heavily dependent on importing fresh cassava roots from neighboring countries. When external supplies are disrupted, a large number of factories may be forced to shut down or suffer heavy losses,” Mr. Hung warned.
Vietnam currently has more than 150 cassava processing factories, with an average capacity of 300-350 tons of roots per day, equivalent to about 20 million tons per year. Meanwhile, domestic raw material sources reach only around 10 million tons - barely half of the designed capacity. As a result, many enterprises have to import fresh or dried cassava slices from Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, which significantly increases logistics costs.
He emphasized that the long-term solution lies in improving productivity and cassava varieties domestically. At present, the average yield is only 20.3 tons per hectare, far below the target of 30-40 tons. “Without breakthroughs in breeding, the industry will inevitably face a raw material shortage. Efforts must focus on selecting, breeding, and promoting high-yield, disease-resistant varieties. This is the key factor to sustaining a billion-dollar industry,” he stressed.
Enterprises have to import fresh or dried cassava slices from Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, which significantly drives up logistics costs. Photo: Tran Trung.
From a business perspective, Mr. Nguyen Van Tai, Deputy Director of the Trade Department in charge of raw material procurement for Hung Duy Group - the largest cassava starch processor in Tay Ninh, acknowledged that the shortage of raw materials has become a matter of survival.
According to Mr. Tai, Tay Ninh alone has 65 cassava processing factories. Each harvest season, the province faces a shortage of about 7-8 million tons of fresh cassava roots - a huge deficit that forces factories to purchase from Cambodia or other provinces.
Regarding the shortage of raw materials, he pointed out that the core issue lies in the limited land available for cassava cultivation. Each factory requires hundreds of hectares of raw material zones to maintain stable operations. Meanwhile, the linkage between enterprises and farmers remains very fragile.
“Our company is actively supporting farmers in adopting new cassava varieties developed by the Institute of Agricultural Genetics, which yield 45-50 tons per hectare, have a starch content of over 27%, and are particularly resistant to mosaic disease. If these varieties are widely cultivated, they will significantly help address the raw material shortage. Therefore, the most feasible solution is to strengthen the linkage among enterprises, farmers, and scientists - sharing benefits, ensuring stable outputs, and jointly building a sustainable cassava value chain,” Mr. Tai shared.
Regarding the relationship between farmers and enterprises, he candidly acknowledged: “Many farmers believe that companies are pushing down prices, but in fact, cassava prices depend on the international market - especially China, which accounts for up to 90% of Vietnam’s cassava starch exports.”
Alongside efforts to develop superior cassava varieties, strengthening the linkage among the “four stakeholders” is essential, with businesses playing an increasingly pivotal role in ensuring the sustainable growth of the cassava industry. Photo: Tran Trung.
“In the past two years, cassava starch prices have dropped sharply due to competition from substitute starches such as corn, potato, and wheat, which has in turn driven down domestic purchase prices. We truly hope to see cassava prices rise again, as that would signal a healthier market,” he said.
According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Xuan, Deputy Director of the Tay Ninh Department of Agriculture and Environment, the province currently has 60,000 hectares of cassava under stable cultivation for many years, with more than 20,000 households depending on the crop for their livelihoods.
Tay Ninh is the largest cassava processing hub in the country. Photo: Tran Trung.
“Tay Ninh is the largest cassava processing hub in the country, with factory capacities three to four times higher than the province’s own output. Raw materials are sourced not only from local farmers but also from neighboring provinces, and even from Cambodia,” Mr. Xuan said.
To address this issue, Tay Ninh has collaborated with the Agricultural Genetics Institute to establish experimental zones in Duong Minh Chau and Tan Chau districts. These serve as research and testing sites for new cassava varieties with disease resistance, high yield, good starch content, and adaptability to local climatic conditions. “Having experimental zones right here in Tay Ninh allows new varieties to be tested under real-world conditions and put into production sooner,” he emphasized.
According to experts, molecular marker-assisted research is paving the way for breeding cassava varieties that are disease-resistant, high-yielding, and stable. The research project led by the Agricultural Genetics Institute has already selected more than 10 promising cassava lines and developed genetic maps related to disease resistance and starch content - a valuable database for future breeding programs.
The cassava starch processing industry in Tay Ninh is proactively diversifying its product range. Photo: Tran Trung.
At the same time, to break free from the “loop” of raw exports and dependence on material prices, Tay Ninh’s cassava starch processing industry has been intensifying investment in modern technology, aiming for green production and product diversification. From cassava starch, local enterprises have developed a wide range of high-value-added products such as bioethanol, biodegradable materials, and food and pharmaceutical additives, aligning with global trends toward sustainable consumption.
“Cassava has been, is, and will continue to be an economic pillar for Tay Ninh in particular and for the entire country in general. The challenge is not merely maintaining productivity but enhancing value, through new varieties, advanced processing technologies, and effective supply chain management. Once achieved, Vietnam’s cassava industry will not only recover but also make a breakthrough, reaffirming its position as a ‘billion-dollar sector’ on the global agricultural map,” Mr. Nguyen Dinh Xuan emphasized.
Translated by Phuong Linh
(VAN) Switching to HDPE cages helps mariculture increase yields, enhance climate resilience, and move toward sustainable offshore development.
(VAN) Rising from the failures of shrimp and sweet snail farming, aquaculture households in Dong Ninh Hoa ward have shifted to sea grapes, opening up new opportunities for getting rich.
(VAN) Thanks to good varieties, the latex productivity of Dong Nai Rubber Corporation has increased from 1.5–1.7 tons of dry latex/ha/year to over 2 tons/ha/year.
(VAN) From the multi-story pig farming model to animal welfare certification, Vietnam's livestock industry is undergoing a green, clean, and sustainable transformation, laying the foundation for reaching out to international markets.
(VAN) The comprehensive cooperation agreement between Mavin Group and IB aims toward practical application and sustainable agricultural development.
(VAN) With a strategy to modernize slaughtering, Tay Ninh aims to control diseases and standardize processes to help livestock production.